Improvement in horse-powers



G. E. BURT a E. A'. HILDRBTH. Horse-Power.

No. 203,320. I Patented May 7,1878.

Wjfnesses, n y vInfenols,

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ivi'rnn STATES IPnrruvr Ornron.

GEORGE E; BURT AND EDWIN` A. HILDRETH, OF HARVARD, MASS.

Y IMPROVEMENT IN HORSE-POWERS.

S peciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 203,320, dated May '7, 1878; application filed l i A March 30, 1878.

To 4all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, GEORGE E. BURG." and EDWIN A. HILDRETH, both of the town of Harvard, in the county of Worcester, in the State of Massachusetts, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Endless-Chain Horse-Powers and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same. f The irst part of our invention relates to the gearing, by which we obtain a high rate of speed on the belt-wheel 5 and the object is to save the-loss of friction, `as far as possible, in the gears. l

The second part of our invention relates to an improved link or chain section, to which the rolling trucks are attached, said links supporting and connecting the treads or lags upon which the horses walk.

The third part of our invention relates to an improved method of supporting the central portion of the treads orm lags upon which the horses walk.'

Figure lis a side elevation of a machine embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a partial side view, showing the gearing used for communicating the power and increasing the speed. Fig. Sis a top view of the chain links or sections which connect and support the moving platform. Fig. iis a cross view of the moving platform, and showing the method of supporting'the central portion of the treads.

Like letters represent like parts in all the figures.

A is the main frame of the horse-power, and should be constructed in such a manner as to give a strong and light frame.

The moving platform is constructed of lags or treads t, which rest upon and are secured to the links L L. The links L `are formed with chilled axles m w, cast onto the links, and thev links L are connecting-links', used` to connect the axle-links together.

ff are strips of wood, placed lengthwise of the chain over the ends of the lags, and are called bunters` These bunters f, lags t, and links L or L' are securely bolted together by the lag-bolts dd.

g is a supporting or truss rod, extending under the central portion of each lag t, and is so placed as to come in the central portion of `each `chain-section. The truss-rod q is providedwith a nut on each end of the lag, to tighten the truss-rod and bring it to abearing on the standards e e, one or more under each lag, to prevent the lags from saggingbetween the wheels under the weight of the team. As this truss-rod passes across the central portion of each section of the movi-ng platform, they can never be injured by the horses feet when the lags wear away between the joints of the moving platform. `As the strain on these truss-rods is only a tension strain, a very small rod is all that is required.

With this device thin lags can be used, making a lighter moving platform; and this supporting-truss is of especial advantage where the lags are long, as in two or three horse machines.

The links L are provided with axles w upon which the truck-wheels w w revolve. The truck-wheels w roll along tracks placed on the track-beams T. 'Ihe links L L are provided with cogs c c, which form racks to mesh into the driving-gears b b. Two drivingf gears, b b, are keyed onto the shaft S', and are placed, one on each side of the machine, in such position as to run in the racks formed by the links on the ends of the treads. The driving-gears b b mesh into the `rack on the moving platform both above and below, as shown in Fig. l. The power is communicated to the gears Ib bfrom the upper sections of the moving platform asthe team walks over it. The gears b mesh into the lower orreturning sections, and by this arrangement the lower or returning sections of the moving platform are propelledalong the lower track by the gears b, and the chain is relieved of all strain of the chainl and truck-wheels while passing around the end circles.

In constructing the links or chain-sections for endless-chain horse-power machines, it is of especial importance that the link should be connected to' thelags or treads of the moving platform, so that the links will always preserve their exact relative position with each other, so that they may always present a straight rack for the driving-gears b to run in.

l' lhe links must also be so connected with thelags that the weight'of the team can be sustained on the truck-wheels without anyl l danger of having the links rock under the lags from the strain `of supporting the team on the projecting axles and truck-wheels, on which the moving platform is carried.

In many of the endless-chain horse-powers, as heretofore constructed, cross-rods have been used to form the joint or hinge upon which the links or chain-sections turn in passing around the ends of the track. These same cross-rods formed also the axles upon which the truck-wheels were placed. By this old plan of using cross-rods between each section of the moving platform, it was necessary to make them very large and heavy. They were very liable to be bent when the edges of the treads wore away between the platform-sections, as the horses were almost sure to walk into the open `ioints and strike the cross-rods. They were a great additional weight to the movingplatform, and were therefore an extra load for the team to carry. When bent, the

- truck-'wheels were thrown out of line, and the whole mechanism of the moving platform was thrown out of order.

If the links and axles can be so securely fastened to the lags as to firmly hold the axles and truck-wheels in position, the cross-rods used for joints and axles can be dispensed with. f

VTo eftectually'preserve the proper relative position of the links L and L with the lags t, we form the posts p p on the upper face of the links, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and cut corresponding recesses in the lag t to fit onto these posts p p, as shown in Fig. 4. The -posts p lo should be placed near each end of the link, and near the central line of the links, to hold the ,link firmly in position, and to leave yas strong a shape as possible for the ends ofthe lags, after being -grooved, to iit onto the links.

In our links the chill-hardened axles are castsolid onto the links. The weight of the team bearing upon 'the trucks and axles would tend to rock'the inner edgeof the links down and away from the surface of the lags-above, andallow the'axle to cant out of its true position, 'unless `carefully provided against. To effectually overcome this tendency, and to hold'our links and axles securely in position without using crossrods in the joints for axles, we' construct our link with a flange or rib, 9^, extending along the inner edge of the link. Wealso form a 'recess'in the 1ags,as shown in Fig. 4, 'to t onto the flange r,- and the iiange r and the corresponding recess in the lags securely hold the inner edge of Athe link up against thev face of the lags, and sustain the'axles in their proper 4positions under the weight of the team. 4

ff The bolts d extend from the links through the lags and bunters. These lag-bolts d are so'near the outeredge of the links that they are well out of the way of the horses feet.

The posts p p and the -iianges fr are sollow downand so near the outer ends of the 'lags that the lags can be worn down quite thin under vthe action of the horses feet without shaft S1.

any danger from the feet of the horses ever coming in contact with any part of the chainlinks and do damage.

In endless-chain horse-powers having cogracks on the moving platform it is of great advantage to so construct them that the rack cannot become clogged with dirt, nor become filled with snow or water, which may freeze into the rack.

To make our rack more safe and free from clogging, we cast a solid link, connecting the cogs at each endto the side pieces of the link, and forming an open rack, with openings through the link between the cogs c c, as shown in Fig. 3. By this arrangement snow, water, and dirt can pass down between the cogs, and there is consequently less liability of clogging the rack or breaking the gearing from the accumulation of ice or any vforeign substance.

In horse-powers which are designed for thrashing grain, sawing wood, or :any such work, where a high rate of speed is required, it is usually necessary to speed up by the use of gearing applied for this purpose.

Where common spur-gears are used for the purpose of increasing the speed, or gearing up,77 as it is called, yin these endless-chain horse-powers, it has. been done withV great loss of power from the friction of the cogs inthe gearing, 'and the horsepower 'becomes inadequate to perform the work to the best advantage.

To enable us to increase the speed'with as little loss of power as possible from the friction of the'cogs, we construct a spur-gear, Gr, which -we place on the outer end of the main The main"shaft S1 is Lextended vout on both sides of the main frame, if desired, so that the gearing can be changed from side to side. The shaft S2 lturns in boxes in the tracks T, land is extended through 'the mavchineandout upon both sides of -the power,

vso that'a belt-wheel can be applied toeither -side of the machine without changing the .gearin g.

On the pinion-shaft S2 we place the pinion- .gear H. This pinion-gear H we construct with rolling cogs o o, which are formed of hardened tubes, which are constructed to turn upon the bearings or pivots u u. The vpivots or bearings u u pass through the rolls o o, and are supported and held in position yby ilanges on both sides' of the pinion-gear H. The pivots or bearings u u vare riveted in position through the side ilanges of the .gear H, and the cogs 'v "v are allowed to turn freely on them. Thus as the cogs of the gear Gr engage with the cogs of the pinion-gear H the cogs 1: o will roll on their bearings as they pass lin'and out, and thus cause much less friction than -isoccasioned by ycommon lspur-cogs, which slide and frictionize on each other. As these are high-speeded gears, the saving of friction from this device is of vgreat importance in this position, and is ymuch greater than if the gears were used only where the motion was slow.

We do not claim, broadly, the use of rolling cogs, however used or however applied to horse-power machines, nor the gearing for multiplying motion, as shafts driven by the chain acting on a pulley of the main shaft,

- having been connected by gearing with the eountershafts; nor do we claim the use of truss-rods, for they are very common. Our invention is limited to the special adaptation of the device shown; but

What we do claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with the platform and rack. attached thereto, and spur-wheel b, meshing into said rack above and below, the shaft S1, spur-wheel G, and pinion H, having rolling cogs, and counter-shaft S2, for giving rotation to the driving-pulley B, substantially as set forth.

2. The links L L', cast with an open rack, leaving open spaces between the cogs, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination and arrangement, with the link L, of the posts p p onthe upper face and near the two extremities of the link, and the rib r on the inner edge of the link, both being formed to iit into grooves in the lags to hold the links in position, substantially as described.

4. In combination with the tread t of an endless-chain horse-power platform, the trussrods q, passing through the ends of the tread and outside of the path of the horse, and support for supporting the tread at the middle, substantially as set forth.

GEORGE E. BUET. y EDWIN A. HILDRETH. 

